


Ears, tail and all

by felicidad (arucaria)



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Cute Yang Jeongin | I.N, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Hybrid Han Jisung | Han, Hybrid woojin, Hybrids, SO MUCH FLUFF, Yang Jeongin | I.N-centric, hybrid felix, hybrid jeongin, isn't that just a given?, stray kids as family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-31 23:15:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20248243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arucaria/pseuds/felicidad
Summary: When Jeongin wakes up that morning nothing seems wrong. Yes, his ears and tail are out but that's not unusual for first thing in the morning - in fact it happens more often than not. It's only when he starts getting dressed and he can't get his shirt over his ears that he realises it's been over an hour since he woke up and they still haven't gone away.Hybrid au because there's never enough hybrid au right??





	Ears, tail and all

**Author's Note:**

> Fun facts:
> 
> Woojin is a black asiatic bear cuz they got them in Korea apparently 
> 
> Han is a red squirrel because they also has them in Korea and he's a real cute ginger
> 
> Jeongin is a fennec fox bc of course he is
> 
> Felix is a black and white cat because of the cat food brand lol
> 
> pls enjoy

When Jeongin wakes up that morning nothing seems wrong. Yes, his ears and tail are out but that's not unusual for first thing in the morning - in fact it happens more often than not. It's only when he starts getting dressed and he can't get his shirt over his ears that he realises it's been over an hour since he woke up and they still haven't gone away. He's alert, he's ready to go for the day and his ears are still here. A curl of anxiety unfurls in his gut.

He takes a deep breath. He tries centering himself just like they taught him in school, pulling himself mentally towards his core. He pictures himself as he wants to be: tail free with smooth, shiny, ear-free hair. He takes ten deep, deep breaths. He takes ten more.

Gingerly he reaches a hand up to his head and feels around. His ears are still there. Shit.

He tries again. Deep breaths. Visualises his ears and tail pulling back inside him. He feels for his ears again.

Nothing's happened.

Nonononono.

The anxiety slams into him full force now. He can't go out like this. There's a fansign in less than two hours and he has to go. He wants go. But he can't go, not like this. He'll have to stay home and the managers will tell the fans he's sick and then they'll worry and he'll feel so, so guilty because he's not sick, he's just a pathetic half-caste that can't even stay human.

Tears prick at the corner of his eyes. He sinks down to the floor, drawing his knees into his chest. He really doesn't want to cry, he really wants to be strong but soon he's wracked with sobs and his arms are damp with tears.

"'Innie?" He hears someone mumble.

Frantically he tries to wipe his eyes as if that'll hide the fact he's been crying his heart out. Felix's big eyes stare down at him, bright with worry.

Felix slings his arm around Jeongin's shoulders and his long, black tail curls around Jeongin's leg. Jeongin flinches.

"What's wrong?" Someone else says. Moments later Jeongin feels Jisung slump down on his other side.

Unlike Felix, who likes to parade around in his ears and tail until the last second before they have to leave, Jisung usually keeps his hidden if they have to go out that day - which is most days. Somehow not seeing Jisung's wiry red ears makes Jeongin feel even worse; Jisung's smooth, glossy hair only serves as a reminder of how much better Jisung at control is than him, despite only being a few months older.

Tears start to fall anew.

"C'mon, Jeonginnie, tell us what's wrong." Jisung coaxes again.

"I can't-" Jeongin sobs, "I tried everything, hyung, and they won't go away I-"

"It's okay-" Jisung tries.

"No it's not!" He shouts in frustration. "It's not. You know it's not."

Hyunjin shuffles into the room looking half asleep and half annoyed at the noise and the shame Jeongin feels is multiplied. He feels so stupid, getting so worked up.

"Hyunjin, go get Chan-hyung." Jisung says, voice deceptively calm and soft.

There's a pause, as if Hyunjin hasn't heard and then there's quick footsteps as he darts towards Changbin and Chan's shared room. Jeongin can hear everything courtesy of his damn ears: Hyunjin's breathy 'it's Jeongin. He's crying.' Chan's alarmed 'Crying?" and the two - no, three - pairs of footsteps that hurry back from the other side of the flat.

Chan crouches down in front of the three of them, eyes soft and full of concern. Woojin and Hyunjin hover over his shoulder awkwardly.

"Jeonginnie." Chan smiles at him. "Don't cry anymore, okay? Tell hyung what's wrong."

"He's stuck." Jisung answers for him.

"Stuck?" Chan echoes.

"I can't make them go away." Jeongin says, ashamed.

"It's okay, these things happen." Chan pats Jeongin's shoulder. There's nothing in his tone that suggests he's disappointed in Jeongin but Jeongin still feels like he's let him down somehow. Chan has already helped him so much and now here he is, making more trouble for him.

He takes a deep breath to collect himself and looks up.

"Tell them it's nothing serious. Tell them it's a stomach-ache or something." He says. He nearly chokes up again as he's speaking, picturing all the 'get well soon' messages from concerned fans that he really, really doesn't deserve, but he manages to finish without crying again.

"Wait, you aren't coming with us?" Hyunjin blurts out.

"His ears and tail are out, Hyunjinnie." Jisung says bluntly. "And we can't hide ours in our clothes like Woojin hyung and Felix can."

"Come anyway!" Felix pipes up from Jeongin's side. "We can all do it, the four of us. It'll be like fanservice!"

"Felix that's not-" Jisung tries, looking at Chan with pleading eyes to explain to Felix, bright, innocent Felix, that whatever things were like back in Australia showing up _mixed_ to a public event just wasn't done. Not even to a fansign.

Chan says nothing, just looks thoughtful for a minute. Then he turns to Woojin.

"Would you do it?" He asks.

"Hyung, no!" Jeongin protests immediately. "I'm sorry, I was just being stupid. Just go without me-"

"I would." Woojin says firmly.

Jeongin stares at him. Woojin never stays in mixed form, not even at the practice rooms or around the flat. He can't believe that Woojin would agree to something as crazy as this. He looks from Woojin to Chan but Chan doesn't look surprised at all, simply nods, as if that were the answer he expected all along.

"Jisung?"

"Yeah." Jisung says quietly. "I will."

Chan nods again, looking determined. He stands up, brushing non-existent lint off his clothes as he does so, and turns to walk out the room. Then he stops. He turns back around.

"I'm going to call Bam, then I'll talk to the managers." His gaze softens as he looks down at Jeongin. "You guys get ready to go. I'll handle everything else."

"I'm coming with you." Woojin says.

They both file out into the hallway past a dazed Hyunjin. Jisung pulls Jeongin to his feet and pushes him in the direction of his closet while Felix flits about behind them, clearly excited. He's thrown into what seemed like hundreds of outfits before they're satisfied. Normally he would have protested at being manhandled and dressed like a doll but for once his hyungs' overbearing antics are kind of... nice. He doesn't have to think about Chan in the other room, pleading the case for their insane plan, or what will happen if he's not allowed to go. What will happen if he _is_.

After he's dressed to their satisfaction they drag him out into the living area. The others are already there and dressed. Chan looks tired. More tired than he usually looks. Another stab of guilt spikes in Jeongin's chest. At least he doesn't have to wonder whether the managers have agreed to this insane plan or whether he's allowed to go to the fansign because he can see Woojin's ears, black and round and fuzzy, peeking out from under his hair.

As soon as they spot him he's mobbed. There's a thousand hands patting him and squeezing his cheeks. A thousand voices proclaiming him the cutest thing they've ever seen.

"Enough!" He cries out, laughing. "You guys are so ridiculous!"

"We wouldn't have to be if you weren't so cute Innie~" Hyunjin coos at him.

Usually at this point Jeongin would pretend to vomit or push them away but today... Today he welcomes his hyungs' overwhelming love for him with open arms. He buries himself deeper in their pile of arms.

"Come on then. Let's get this show on the road. " A voice says from near his left ear. Chan.

Jeongin nods in reply. He doesn't trust himself to reply without tearing up. There are words on the tip of his tongue that feel suspiciously like _I love you guys _and he doesn't want to say them.

Slowly they all disentangle themselves and head downstairs to where the cars wait for them. There's no set groups for who goes in which one but Jeongin really hopes he gets Woojin in his. There's just something very calming about him and that's exactly what Jeongin needs right now.

"Jisung, Changbin and Minho, you're with me." Chan says, gesturing to one of the vehicles. "The rest of you in the other, okay?"

There's murmurs of agreement. That is unusual. Usually there would at least three changes to the seating arrangements depending on who wanted to sit with who on any given day and who was in what mood. The tension in Chan's shoulders eases slightly and Jeongin is reminded that even if it's not his ears and tail out on display today, it is his head on the chopping block.

The guilt rises up again. He's putting all of them at risk by letting them do this. He knows they've chosen to do it, he knows that. But they wouldn't even be in this position if it weren't for him.

"I shouldn't be going." He blurts out.

They all turn to look at him.

"I shouldn't be going." He repeats. "It's too risky. What if they don't like it? What if-"

Woojin steps forward and takes his hand. His palm is warm and dry.

"Come on, Innie." Woojin says calmly. "Our Stays are waiting for us."

All the protests Jeongin came up with curl up and die on his tongue. Trust Woojin to remind him of the reason he was so desperate to go to the fansign in the first place. Their Stays. The fans he didn't want to disappoint.

He nods. He lets Woojin lead him to the van and sit him in the back. His hyung never once lets go of his hand, not even as Woojin tries to put on his seatbelt and Jeongin is so, so grateful.

The car on the way over to the fansign is far louder than Jeongin expects. He's not sure whether everyone is actually excited or whether they're overcompensating to make him feel better. Felix's ears keep twitching and his tail has hit Hyunjin in the face at least twice but with cats that could go either way. Excited or anxious. Or both, Jeongin supposes.

Even if it is fake, he appreciates it. The noise helps to drown out all the thoughts that try to surface.

The ride there is possibly the longest hour of Jeongin's life and that includes the god-awful survival show they were forced through. And yet, when they arrive at the venue he feels like it all went too quickly. He's not ready for this.

xxx

As they walk across the stage Jeongin doesn't dare to look up. The screams turn to whispers. He wants to throw up. As he reaches his assigned seat he turns to face the crowd, just as he is supposed to but he can't bring himself to lift his head.

Then the screaming starts again. Louder. Most of it is incomprehensible but there's one word he can hear being repeated over and over again.

_Cute._

His legs nearly give out with relief. Their Stays think that they are cute. Woojin and Felix and Jisung and him - their Stays don't hate them. They like it. He almost wants to cry with relief.

He looks over to the others. He sees Felix's ears and tail flicking in the way it only does when he's happy. Jisung is practically glowing. His tail nearly brushes the decorations on the front of the table off as he fidgets, filled to the brim with brightness and energy. Even Woojin seems like there's something in him that has released, like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. He looks so... Peaceful.

Honestly this is the best thing that's happened since their debut as all nine of them. Four hybrids, five humans. A family. They'd always accepted each other, supported each other and loved each other. No questions. And now it feels like their Stays have done that too. That they're even closer to being a family. He doesn't have to worry about what they think of him now. They love him no matter what. Ears, tail, and all.

_You make Stray Kids Stay. _


End file.
